- Exporters should submit their certificate of origin (CO) to the Bureau of Customs Export Coordination Division (ECD) extension office located at the Philippine Exporters Confederation in Pasay while ECD personnel work from home
- The ECD may be reached by email and through BOC’s Customer Care Portal system for instructions on processing and to respond to exporters’ queries
- PHILEXPORT’s One-Stop Export Documentation Center has a designated customs officer to sign the COs
Exporters were advised to submit and have their certificate of origin (CO) signed at the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (PHILEXPORT) office in Pasay City while the Bureau of Customs’ Export Coordination Division (ECD) personnel are working from home.
Philexport is an extension office of ECD.
ECD’s WFH is “in light of the growing concerns” with rising COVID-19 cases in the country and in support of government measures to prevent further spread of the virus, according to a March 29 memo signed by Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group (AOCG) deputy commissioner Edward James Dy Buco.
ECD is a unit under AOCG.
“Rest assured that we remain fully committed to servicing all our clients while we endure the impact of COVID-19 pandemic,” Dy Buco said.
While ECD personnel work from home, they may still be reached via email or the BOC’s Customer Care Portal System (client.customs.gov.ph) to process exporters’ instructions and respond to their queries.
Dy Buco confirmed to PortCalls in a text message that a customs officer is assigned to PHILEXPORT’s One-Stop Export Documentation Center.
Part of PHILEXPORT’s services, the one-stop shop processes export declarations by air and by sea such as COs, as well as the export commodity clearances of BOC, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and Bureau of Plant Industry.
A CO is a document declaring in which country a commodity or good was manufactured, and under many treaty agreements, it is required for cross-border trade to determine whether certain goods are eligible for import or are subject to duties.
The one-stop shop will be open until March 31 (half-day) and will temporarily close during Holy Week, resuming operations on April 5. – Roumina Pablo
